2 arrests made in connection with morning shooting; STGnews Videocast

ST. GEORGE – While two arrests have been made for obstruction of justice in connection with an early morning shooting in St. George Wednesday, the shooter, who allegedly shot a man in the torso, has not been arrested, and a gun has not been located.

“As of right now, we believe the person who fired the shot is not in custody, but is not a threat to the public,” St. George Police Captain Michael Giles said. “This appears to be a focused incident related to the parties involved.”

Seth Kimball Cox, of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted June 10, 2015 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The St. George Communications Center received a report that a person had been shot at a housing complex on the 800 South block of 400 East at approximately 3:53 a.m. A 21-year-old man was found to have a single gunshot wound to the torso.

The man was awake and alert when he was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, where he was taken into surgery with injuries that were not life-threatening.

“To my knowledge, there was one bullet wound, and, as far as I know, one shot was fired,” Giles said.

Since the shooting, detectives have drafted a search warrant in their attempt to locate the firearm that was involved, Giles said. Detectives have also been conducting interviews with the persons who were present at the time the incident occurred.

“As a result of those interviews, so far, two arrests have been made for obstruction of justice,” Giles said, “and there’s some pending drug charges that will be filed in relation to items found during the search warrant execution. At this point, they’ve developed some leads that they’re following up with, identifying others that may have been involved.”

Eugene Paul Thompson Jr., of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted June 10, 2015 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

“Both of the arrestees were present at the time that the incident took place and have been misinforming detectives and providing false information about events,” Giles said.

Seth Kimball Cox, of St. George, was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for obstruction of justice and a class B misdemeanor for providing a false written statement to police.

Eugene Paul Thompson Jr., of St. George, was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for obstruction of justice.

A 20-year-old woman was issued a citation on scene for providing false personal information, but she was released after it was determined she didn’t have any information about the shooting, Giles said.

During a search of the residence where the shooting occurred, Giles said, detectives found methamphetamine, heroin and drug paraphernalia, and additional charges will soon be added.

The motive and what led up to the shooting is still under investigation, Giles said. As this report is published, police have not confirmed the relationship between the people who were present when the shooting occurred.

The investigation is in its early stages, and more information will be provided as it becomes available for release.

This is a developing story and may be updated as further details emerge.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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About the Author

Kimberly Scott is a lifetime resident of Southern Utah. In 2013, Kimberly joined St. George News as a vital member of its editing, reporting and administrative team. She is passionate about engaging communities through writing and is dedicated to providing complete and accurate coverage of both anticipated and breaking news.